Lethbridge, Gravenhurst
'''City of Lethbridge' (Traditional Chinese: 烈必橋市; Spring 2010 population 79,137), or commonly known as Lethbridge, is a city in the northern end of Gravenhurst Region in the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas. The city is located at the heart of the Lethbridge Census Metropolitan Area. The CMA is estimated to be home to 120,000 people, or approximately 10% of the region's population. The residents of Lethbridge is called Lethbridgers. History Historically, Lethbridge is an independent county from Gravenhurst Region. Lethbridge County consists of all the modern day Lethbridge CMA areas, including Sydenham, Warshaw, Puffleton, Medicine Hat, and parts of Mississauga. In 1856, the county's leader proposed a merger into Gravenhurst Region, and was later approved by King Nicholas the Seventh. The amalgamation was effective 1867. In 1867, Lethbridge was assigned as the satellite city of Archemedes, Gravenhurst. This assignment led to the construction of Highway 2, linking both Archemedes and Lethbridge. The linkage led to developments of townships such as Dundas and Guelph. In 1906, railway linkage was also established. Lethbridge GO Station was constructed just east of the populated areas of the city. After amalgamation, the historical Lethbridge County Transit (LCT) still operates in the area. At one point, LCT also serves part of Archemedes. Some of the LCT routes that served Archemedes include the nowadays Route 25. Finally, in 1967, 100 years after the amalgamation, the two public transit systems, Gravenhurst Regional Transit (GRT) and LCT merged together, GRT was extended into the city, providing services in the area. GRT also re-arranged and renamed the routes in Lethbridge and Warshaw areas. Routes that are previously numbered from 0 to 15, was renumbered to 66 to 80. In 1984, the population of Lethbridge reached its very peak. The population at that time was at 81,902. In 1985, Lord Bosco Gilles, one of the member of the Senate in the Parliament of the Region suggested to split Lethbridge into two. He suggests the City of Warshaw should be born. The bill was discussed and debated over at least 7 years. On April 2, 1993, a vote was held across the City of Lethbridge. The result came out with 54% of the residents supporting splitting Lethbridge into two. On October 2, 1993, the City of Lethbridge was officially splitted into two, with new government officials placing new cities sign on the boundaries. While there has been many voices to re-amalgamate the city back into 1, but there has been no actions taken yet. Geography The city is less than one parcel in size due to the splitting that took place back in 1993. The city is about 75 squared kilometers in size. Pretty much all of the city is populated, except for the eastern end and portions of the land west of O'Connor Avenue. North of the city is Sainte Marie of Concord County. The city's boundaries are formed by north to Lethbridge - Puffleton Freeway, east to Lethbridge - Sydenham Line, south to Vaughan Avenue, and west to Washington Avenue. Topography The city is located on relatively high grounds in comparison to most populated places in the region, as the city situates quite far away from Lake Haldimond. The city locates at an elevation 705 meters. The Grand River runs north-south through the city. The Kootney Creek also runs north-south through the city. Climate Lethbridge has a continental climate, very similar to Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada. The climatological data of the city is taken in the nearby Warshaw City Park, located just south of the city limits. Cityscape City Map The city map could be found here: http://gravenhurst.wikispaces.com/file/view/Lethbridge_-_Warshaw.jpg Residential Areas The city is mainly split into several distinct neighbourhoods, Lethbridge West, Lethbridge East, Lethbridge Centre, Grand Bend, and parts of Eglinville. Most of the denser developments are located in Lethbridge Centre, the area near the intersection of McAssure Avenue and Lethbridge Avenue. Lethbridge West and Lethbridge East contains most of the population, while Eglinville is the newly developed community within the city. Commercial Areas The city's business section, or Downtown Lethbridge, is located along Lethbridge Avenue North, between McAssure Avenue and Carmichael Avenue. While most of the downtown is a strip mall, recently there has been several offices high rise buildings near New King Henry Drive. Industrial Areas Most of the industrial areas are located outside the city in Warshaw, however, there are traces of factories near Lethbridge GO Station. Public Spaces The Lethbridge City Hall Park is the most notable recreational public space in the city. However, most residents choose to use the bigger Warshaw City Park, south of the border in the City of Warshaw. Demographics The last complete census in April 2010 suggests the city has a population of 79,137, which is a growth of 17.89% from 2009. The city's population made Lethbridge the fourth most populous city in Gravenhurst Region, after Archemedes (Population 468,125), Vandehogan (Population 111,093), and Lisi (Population 90,371). Government Lethbridge has a city status within the Gravenhurst Region, meaning it is responsible for its own expressway system and local roads system. In additional, Lethbridge will also have to fund for its education institutes, utilities, and hospitals (the Lethbridge - Warshaw General Hospital, Lethbridge funds 70% of all operating costs) within the city limits. However, transit systems are maintained by private companies and monitored by the regional government. The Lethbridge City Council consists of (in order of ranks) a speaker (who controls just the council), a vice-speaker, a mayor (who controls the city), a city manager (also called deputy mayor), 8 councillors in the transportation, city planning, education, health, financial, utilities, seasonal management and safety departments, and 5 Members of the Council (M.C.) representing each community in the city. The wards in the city is divided per grid in the grid-like road system in Lethbridge. Lethbridge had an operating budget of $11 billion in 2008. The city receives funding from the Government of Gravenhurst in addition to tax revenues and user fees of the city's services. Education The city has at least one elementary school and high school in each of the block of the city. Health The healthcare services of the city is provided by Lethbridge - Warshaw General Hospital. Transportations Lethbridge is primarily served by Gravenhurst Regional Transit (GRT), which operates all of the about 20 bus routes in the city. Lethbridge is also served by GO Transit, an inter-city transportation system operating trains between the region's municipalities. GO Transit also operates GO Shuttles in partnership with GRT across the city. It is proposed a rapid transit system to be built in the city by Viva Bus Rapid Transit, operating 1 bus rapid transit line line in the city, connecting the city from Keswick to Warshaw Centre. There are 2 bus terminals serving the city, including Lethbridge Terminal and Keswick Terminal. Each of the terminals connects to several bus routes and/or GO Transit. Currently, the residents of Lethbridge and its suburbs rely on Archemedes International Airport, Gravenhurst's largest and busiest airport for all air traffic and air traffic needs are acquired here at the . The Archemedes International Airport operates 3 public terminals, 3 commercial terminals, and 1 for industrial uses. To reduce the load in this airport, a municipal airport, namely Lethbridge - Warshaw Municipal Airport began constructions in 2009, proposed to be completed and opened to the public by 2011. Lethbridge has a grid like system of arterial roads. The grid-like road system is paid for and maintained by Gravenhurst Region, and each is assigned a number. The square grid of major city streets was laid out by the concession road system. The local road system is paid for and maintained by the city itself. Archemedes also has several expressways which are paid for and maintained by the city, including Archemedes - Lethbridge Freeway(ALF, which connects to Highway 512) and Lethbridge - Puffleton Freeway (which connects to Highway 503 . Nearby Municipalities Category:Gravenhurst Region Category:Lethbridge Census Metropolitan Area